Ronnie B's Championship Blog

Its been crazy digging out of my mother’s hard drug addiction and dissappearance, my father’s gruesome suicide in October of 2009 and the roller coaster of starting community programs targeting people trapped just like I was.

The hardest part is before you can help anyone you have to become un-trapped yourself, you gotta tunnel out and as far away from the prison as you can. Then you have to figure out the road form there to here and figure out how to effectively share it. thats a big problem right now, too many people speaking out agianst things they are still trapped in. We’ll all still have tough times, but if you’re truly free those tough times come and go quickly.

So I’m just doing my thing and help individually like I used too. Looking forward to working this summer and getting my mobile clothing business, “Bishop’s Clothing”, up and running agian. Just got back in from out of town sourcing new gear for this summer.

Ill probably mow agian this yeartoo, if you need it hit me up.

Hopefully, in the fall I will start night classes for communications. Hit me up with any advice you might have on part time grants, i’d appreciate it.

If you wanna play basketball hit me up, 2-on-2 & 3-on-3, (no less than $50 a game.)

I have been spending time with God and revisiting alot of my old nieghborhoods and all the many, many homes and trap houses we lived in.

God is leading me and my family into a great new direction. Some of us can’t run from horrors and into God’s arms. God requires us to dwell in those horrors and work them out. This is the only true way to help others.

RonnieB is ALWAYS chasing after God and I’m out there, with my people.

Read Haggai in your bible, you’ll always find me in there. Its got the one line God will repeat to you daily, Haggai helps you hear it and see what to do next.

In the beginning was The Word.

Some of you are King Davids, some of us are John the Baptists. Some will conquer and reign, some will cry out in the wilderness until thier heads are cut off. Its just how it is. I am returning to the wilderness where I baptize those you are afraid of and await the removal of my head, I love God with all my heart, mind and soul!!

I am ALWAYS seeking God, just gotta go back where I belong. Our Facebook pages are closing this friday.

DeniedThrice.org and RonnieUseless@DeniedThrice.org. still up, minimal updates.

Love you all, see you on the N Side!

I felt led to spend some time in the Book of Haggai and did so last night and this a.m. to my amazement and growth. it is one page, so i encourage you to read it today and let it speak into your life.

When we begin to reliquish our dependance on own understanding and seek to rely with full dependancy on God, amazing things (sometimes huge and sometimes tiny wispers) begin to take place in our lives. This is not a sermon, or lesson as I understand my current role in the Kingdom Business. This is a personal testimony of God and His Word working in my and my family’s life.

God, in my experiance in The Word, rarely repeats himself and even more rare is it that he repeats himelf with only a verse in between. Notice the following verses (Haggai 1:5-8)

5) Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways!”

6)”You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink but are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but noone is warm; And he who earns wages, earns wages to put into bags with holes.”

7)Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways!”

8) “Go up into the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified.” says the Lord.

Many of us can immeadiately respond to seeking much and finding little, many Christians around me experiance this, including myself from time to time or in long periods. Never has an answer been made more clear to me. ”Consider Your Ways!”

this week, as I have reported, has been a tough week, but its been God lining me out, rebuking me and calling me to the actions and denial of thoughts that lead us to an amazing life bringing Glory solely to God. Yesterday God drew me out to travel some of the same streets he sent me to a couple years back and look at what He achieved through me and my family.  Even before I turned to the book of Haggai, I felt God telling me as I drove those streets and looked at the many, many ideas for help I  had developed in an attempt to save my own life: “Consider Your Ways!”

(“He who seeks to save his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for Christ’s sake will gain it”)

Much to my somewhat embarrassment and much more to the Glory of God, I had to confess to Christ and now to men, that my passion and desire to do the work in our communities led me to seek to do those things that would ensure such a role for myself and my family rather than stick to God’s plan. Even if it seemed like the last thing anyone would really dig. This is, of course, a common theme in both the Old testament and Paul’s Epistles. (Also, check a recent post on here titled “You way Versus God’s way. “Ma’am your soup is terrible”)

I will hope that you will read this one page book of the Holy Bible and utilize the resources for study listed at the end of this article.

I am doing 2 things since yesterdays activities and subsequent study of Haggai. Considering my ways & going to the mountain, (or to me, in this scenario, those high places with God) and bringing back wood (changes, renewed postions, God’s vision not my own) to build the temple (Christ referred to his body as a temple in many instances) that He might take pleasure in it and be Glorified.

During my reading and prayer I took temple to be, in that moment:

Myself in Christ, serving God - to be a temple where his Holy Spirit may dwell and God be Glorified. To be what he has called me to be, NOT what I feel anyone else calling me to be.

Our Organization - In 1:9 the Lord says:9) “You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house.”

Personally this spoke to me the same way “He who seeks to save his life shall lose it, but he who loses it for Christ’s sake will gain it” even simpler it is “Consider Your Ways”

May even my own house lay in ruins, for God will carry me, if I am out of my own house and seeking to Build the temple (to God) that he may take pleasure in it and be Glorified.

We go on in 1:11 to read “For I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain and the new wine and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”

Now go back and read 1:5-8 agian. Im not a prophecy preacher, but take a moment to apply that to today’s reality, our economy as a whole, some of our lives and homes as a whole in 2009-2010. If you see what I see, I think it to be of the utmost importance to give ourself to God wholly and “Go up to the mountains and bring back wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be Glorified” says the Lord”

from there we find in 2:4 God tells everyone from the High Priest to all the people of the land be strong, be strong “and work; For I am with you” in 2:5 we read “according to the word that I convanted in with you when you came out of Egypt, so My spirit remains among you; DO NOT FEAR!”

God spoke word into thier lives to get them moving on His Mission.

and finally in 2:17&18 we read:

17) ” ‘I struck you with blight and mildew and hail in all the labors of your hands; yet you did not turn to me’ says the Lord”

18) ” ‘Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day forward I will bless you.’ “

There are many, many applications of this book, this is simply a personal experiance I had and hope you find it applicable in your life in the way that God, not you or I or anyone else, would have you to find it.

Understanding hsitorical context when digging through the word, (learning to swing your sword) is VERY important. Please use these guides or your own commentaries to truly understand this beautiful work.

It is a 66 book love letter your Father left for you!

*

http://www.gotquestions.org/book-of-haggai.html

http://mb-soft.com/believe/txs/haggai.htm

*

RonnieB

Denied Thrice

Deniedthrice.org

559 717 8650

RonnieUseless@Deniedthrice.org

I just completed an email to our lawyer regarding some gray ares with the IRS and our business model, of course alot of this could change depending on our legal counsel and such. I would however like to share the majority of this email with you here:

Please let us know how you feel about what was said here!

            Hey we just spoke regarding the grey areas in non-profit in regards to the retails sales. Please take a look at the following outline and see if we are on the right track:

            The number one reason behind the heavy retail side of our organization is to accomplish one major goal and one community goal. Obviously I could proceed as a for-profit with the business acumen I have developed over the years and be quite successful, however I have no desire, nor need for that level of income in my life.

            The major goal I am seeking to accomplish with the many ‘profitable’ opportunities (including a Cricket location I am seeking to obtain the franchise rights to) is to reduce our reliance on donations. In my research I have found that the vast majority of non-profits must use 40-80% of their budget and time toward fundraising. Feed the Children is currently under fire for this. Although I completely understand it, my goal in providing a real, full-time community center that effects real change is to dedicate 40-80% of our time, depending on class load, to recruiting, not fund-raising.

            It is a simple fact that there are 3 exact types of people that participate in community center programs: A) those who attend community center programs B) those who do not know about the programs and C) those who do not attend such things. We are focused on B and specifically C. Through my actions in down time and the actions of my street team we will promote and recruit with the intensity most organizations put into fundraising. We feel that this is the only way to break out of the repetitive rut some organizations find themselves in. serving the same group of people over and over, while the “C group” populous becomes more complacent, hopeless and possibly prone to depression, anger and the ever increasing prescription drug addictions.

            Our secondary goal is to provide members of the community and HS students with the opportunity for both employment and an opportunity to learn, sharpen and practice business, customer service and sales skills in a real world, real time environment. They are there to learn under our advisement and their commitment, not under the eye of someone eyeing their bottom line. We also seek to change the trend of paying people less than livable wages for their efforts.

            I can see right away how this is opposite our society’s ways of operating. I simply desire to make no more than $24,000 per year for the foreseeable future and have no desire, nor need (through our Lord’s provisiond) to deal with the larger incomes being for-profit would bring me. Also, throughout the year of 2010 (after we open the first campus and grow it appropriately) we are whole-heartedly committed to opening one community campus per month after that. Our goals for growth will require quite a financial flow, which I believe I have the necessary business skills to raise without a heavy dependence on other people’s money.

            *That being said, if, for the sake of rocking the boat and causing a million questions to be raised (regarding the IRS) I need handle certain aspects of our income stream as a “for-profit” and simply funnel the money into an account as though I were donating large sums, I can accept that. However, I would only want to do this if it were for the sake of staying in a neutral zone with the IRS, not to avoid challenging the status-quo, the utter failure of many programs and the greed found within some non-profits in this day and age.

            I, unfortunately for some around me, feel very strongly about the need for reform and change. It is important to me to establish a new model and be the best possible representation for self-sacrifice and servitude in the community as I can. I feel that establishing a new model that challenges the status-quo would be far more effective than simply speaking out against it.

“The first shall be last and the last shall be first”

Sincerely,

Ronnie L. Butler

Denied Thrice Media

559 717 8650

RonnieUseless@DeniedThrice.org

www.Deniedthrice.org

This text begins after David slayed Goliath and is finally returning home after the event.

I Samuel 18:7-16:

7 So the Women Sang as they danced, and said:

“Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands”

8 Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said , “they have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can He have but the kingdom?”

9 So Saul eyed David from that day forward.

10 And it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house. So David played music with his hand, as at other times; but there was a spear in Sauls’s hand.

11 And Saul cast the spear, for he said, “I will pin David to the wall!” But David escaped his presence *twice.*

12 Now Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with Him, but had departed from Saul.

13 Therefore Saul removed him from his presence, and made him captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.

14 And David behaved wisely in all ways, and the Lord was with him.

15 Therefore, when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of him.

16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.

I remember this from a TV preacher years ago, typing from memory:

After a doing a guest preaching spot one evening in a small town, I was, as was the usual, invited to one of the church members homes for dinner. I accepted as was also the usual.

The lady was a very sweet and loving servant of our Lord. I dont think she had the ability to do any ill toward anyone, her heart was on her sleeve and was larger than she was.

She told me before we departed the church parking lot that her husband was not a Christian, did not attend church and was slightly wary of the preachers she would bring to dinner from time to time.

She had prepared homemade chicken noodle soup, some breads and a small salad. This was I was told the customary feast she served to every servant of God she had in her home after such an event. Her husband glared at me as she served the meal.

I looked down at my soup, which was, well, water with boiled chicken in it. Some attempt at spices had been used but my throat tightened as it passed. It tasted like aluminum. Her husband glared at me when I touched my spoon until the time I swallowed.

She was staring at me with wide, beautiful and loving eyes. I knew the question she was sure to ask any minute now.

‘Tell her the truth about that soup…’ I felt it in my bones. one of those times God tells you to do something you know your not really going to do. MY spirit of the world said ‘NO’

‘Tell her the truth about that soup…’ Well agian I had the same replusion inside me that comes at times like that. ‘NO’

The question came, her eyes shining at me making me feel like a real somebody.

“Well, how do you like my homemade ‘preacher soup’? she said excitedly.

Her husbands eyes were glaring right through me….

‘Tell her the truth about that soup…’ I felt it agian, like a survival instinct.

Half confused and fearing God I blurted out

“well ma’am, you have made a beautiful effort, the salad and breads are fantastic, best I’ve had. But ma’am, the soup is terrible.”

Before I could see how she reacted, her husband reacted.

He jumped up from his chair, slammed his spoon into his soup causing it splatter across the table cloth.

“Ill be damned!” he shouted “After ALL the preachers she brought through this house, YOU sir, YOU are the first one to tell my wife the TRUTH about this terrible soup she makes for preachers!!!” he said loudly and excitedly.

He finished up with this:

“I’ll come listen to YOU speak, I’d even go to your Church”

* * *

its not always, or ever maybe, that dramatic. Usually you do it Gods way and you deal with how you FEEL by growing up and moving forward in God, not letting it cause you to sin or further disobey.

Love your wives like you have sinned deeply and they will be coming to visit you every sunday at the state penatentary. How beautiful and alive she would look dressed up coming to be faithful to her husband.

How you would long to reach out and hold her, do whatever she wanted to do, just to be free with her agian.

I may not always succeed, but I try and live by this every minute I am with my wife.

God Bless.

I will be speaking March 9th, 6:30pm at Pig-N-Pepper in Van Buren on Alma Hwy. There will be a raffle of some porportions and we hope to raise enough awareness and funds to move into our Alma Community Campus & begin teaching and outreaching next week. We will also be holding our first “pre-church” service that following Thursday after God establishes us!!

 in Love,

RonnieB (useless)

Its been a difficult week, I have a benefit banquet less than a week away that is very important to my organizations survival as well as my own. I am thrice invested: invested spiritualy, emotionally and financially fully in God’s vision. I’ve wasted time and resources this week fighting obiedience to God. There were raffle items to gather, tickets to sell, special marketing tactics to deploy upon the local media. So much to do to ensure I and Denied Thrice Media would raise the awareness and income to survive.

Jesus said that whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Christ’s sake will gain it.

its hard to keep myself from seeking to save my own life. It seems to take so much prayer and focus to discern between what God is telling me to do and what I’m telling myself needs to be done.

I just finished some deep reflection and time with Jesus and had to face that God’s will was for me to sit still and reflect. I was rebuked by the fact that regardless of how many people showed up or what level of attention we garnered the presentation of problems and solutions in our community was the meat of it all. My observations and solutions arent easy for the majority. I struggle to get anyone to understand exactly how things really go down with our youth except in barbershops in intense nieghborhoods most of you reading this will never roll through. The same problems are in every community. The same solutions are needed in every community.

So, i returned to obedience. Ill be honest, studying and doing just one thing is torture for me. I made my family proud with my fathers eulogy, which I typed up 7 minutes before we left for the service. But I had been writing it non-stop for days while handling many monumental tasks involving in putting your father to the ground.

I also end days like this feeling that too little was accomplished and there is too much energy left over for the evening. The truth is on days I feel this way, I often more easily frustrated by my wife and those around me, quicker to anger and more likely to seek rest outside of God.

It really isn’t about me, what I think I need or my ideas about whats best. what it is about is being obedient to God regardless of myself, the world, or my lusts. AND when being obedient to God leaves me feel lacking or overwhelmed and I am more prone to bad behavior and sin, (which is, alas, disobedience), I need to deal with that directly and become the victor, the conqueror that I am.

That is my entry. Next is story I’ll never forget that deals directly with this subject. Enjoy:

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Tuesday, March 9th, 6:30 pm @ PigNPepper BBQ: Ronnie B and the Denied Thrice Family will be speaking on community issues & our strategy to aid them. We will not be selling dinner tickets, there will however be a raffle. if you would like to donate call our office @ 559 717 8650

Pig-N-Pepper is located on Alma Hwy in Van Buren, AR (next to Pizza Parlor & Before Cloverleaf)

Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

God bless and may each of you have a very blessed day!

What is important to consider is that it is easy to watch ‘Horders’ (A&E) and see it as ridiculous, but I am confronted every day with Horders of fear, hate, rage, greed, lust. The sad reality is these horders are less often seen as ridiculous.

Sadly they are looked at as leaders, decision makers, paerents, friends. Then there are the smaller things, such as quitting Cigs if your having financial trouble or simply choosing to love those you claim to love instead of building mountains of resentment.

Anyone interested in learning more about all these ridiculous behaviors and how to find true FREEDOM from them in yourself and in your environment should consult the 66 book love letter you Father wrote you….You are ALL Blessed & Highly Favored of God, act like it tonight and see the difference!!

Ronnie Butler

DeniedThrice.org

559 717 8650

Wow, working for God is just like being in the NBA or NFL, such an amazing life Christ has given me because i chose to quit seeking to save my own life.

From I Samuel 25:28 (this is: A. old testament B. Nabals wife speaking to David regarding Nabals offensive actions toward David and C. David, of course, is Jesus’ ancestor and a foreshadowing of Christ.)

“Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant. For The Lord will certainly make for my lord [david] an enduring house, because my lord (David) fights the battles of The Lord”  I Samuel 25:28 (NKJV)

I am exhausted from fundraising all day, but feel blessed and highly favored! I have never been happier, felt this level of healing or been this effective in my goals! Full post tomorrow. Good night and May God Bless you all! Give it all to him!!